Ward 3 Coun. Gary Lamb is seeking re-election in the upcoming municipal election next month.
Lamb has been on council on and off for the past 37 years. He is a Bradford native with a passion for the community.
He moved to the Holland Marsh with his parents and four siblings when he was 13-years-old, and graduated from Bradford High School in 1971. Lamb went to school at the same time as current council members, Mayor Rob Keffer, Ron Orr and the late Coun. Gary Baynes.
"My parents were both small town people and they wanted to get out of the city," he said. "My mother always liked the black soil when driving down the 400."
Lamb went on to study political science at Glendon College at York University. He married the girl next door and the love of his life, Julie and together had two sons, Darryl and Ryan. Julie sadly passed away in 2013 after losing her battle with cancer.
What motivated Lamb to run for council initially was his family. He wanted to see more recreational activities for his sons, and was instrumental in the building of the Bob Fallis recreation centre as well as converting the old fire hall into what is now the courthouse in downtown Bradford.
"I was always politically active as a teenager...I was just fascinated by it (politics)," he said.
Lamb was elected in 1985 and became Chair of the Police Board. He caught the council-itch and was re-elected in 1988, then decided to run for mayor in 1991 when Bradford and West Gwillimbury amalgamated. He didn't win, but remained involved in the community as Chair of the Public Utilities Commission and re-ran for councillor in 1994, and won.
Lamb worked in sales and was active in the community with both his sons who were involved in minor hockey, golf and soccer leagues in town. He was also a school bus driver for 14 years.
"That was the most fun I ever had," he said. "I knew every pothole, all the kids."
From 2003-2010, he took a council break, before putting his name back into the hat, and has been re-elected to council every term since.
Lamb was also on the Library Board for 10 years.
"I was Chair of (BWG) Fire when we brought in the first ladder track and we started modernizing the department," he said. "I was the champion of getting full-time firefighters."
Lamb prides himself on being a "pragmatic" councillor, who relies on data before making decisions, especially when it comes to traffic. As Chair of the Traffic Committee, he says it can be difficult to make decisions on traffic calming measures and speed enforcement.
"Give me the facts," he said. "We have to respond based on the data, where is the problem, who is the problem?"
"I don't make promises I can't keep, but if there's a problem I'll work towards getting the solution," he added.
He says his ward is currently seeing a lot of growth pressures from developers, particularly in Bond Head. With the new ward boundaries set this year, Bond Head is now split between Wards 3 and 5, with County Road 88 as the boundary. By splitting Bond Head between the two rural wards, it is expected that the population of Bond Head will represent approximately 62 percent of the Ward 3 population by 2031.
"This council has established an urban boundary, and we need to protect that urban boundary," he said. "We got to protect the 19th-century village aspect of (Bond Head Village), and whatever is being done there can be accomplished without too many pains of the residents that are there now."
With Mayor Rob Keffer and Coun. Ron Orr retiring at the end of the term, he said he wanted to run again to ensure some continuity with the council team.
"I made the decision to, if I get elected, give four more years of my life to the residents of Bradford West Gwillimbury," said Lamb. "I'm in it to win it."
Election week is is Oct. 14-24.
